July 12, 2000: City prepares to start third phase of Park DuValle renewal

Aug. 13, 2009

Written by

The Courier-Journal

Four years after crews began tearing down the notorious Cotter and Lang public-housing complexes to make way for a mixed-income neighborhood, demolition work is under way again as the city prepares to start the next phase of the Park DuValle revitalization project.

Both commercial and residential development are planned for the third phase of the project - a joint effort by public and private partners to replace the old, crime-ridden, barracks-style housing with 1,200 modern dwellings.

The Villages of Park DuValle - the project's second phase, which will eventually have 213 rentals and 125 homes - is well under way, drawing strong interest from the public and reaping national attention. For instance, the Villages was among 10 projects honored earlier this year by the American Institute of Architects for excellence in design.

The third phase will have 100 rental units, including 62 for senior citizens; 100 single-family homes to be sold; and a town center with a variety of businesses and the Park DuValle Community Health Center, which is now at 1817 S. 34th St.

Tim Barry, interim executive director of the Housing Authority of Louisville, said the third phase won't officially begin until work starts on sewers, water and electricity, possibly next month.

But early signs of change are already visible.

To make way for the new construction, eight structures are being torn down or soon will be, said Alecia Nash, a spokeswoman for the Housing Authority. Another four will be added to the demolition list once they are acquired, Barry said.

In the town center area, demolition has been substantially completed on a handful of residences on Wilson Avenue, Beech Street, 30th Street, and a liquor store on Wilson Avenue, according to the Housing Authority.

Salvage and demolition work is taking place this week at Three Brothers Family Plaza at 34th Street and Young Avenue, where residences will be built, Barry said.

The plaza was formerly the site of the Three Brothers supermarket, which has been closed for a couple of years. Many residents once patronized the business, but it lost many of its customers after the public-housing complexes were torn down.

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It was helpful for families to have a grocery store nearby when they couldn't get to stores farther away, such as Kroger and Winn-Dixie, said Mona Allen, 34, who lives in the first phase of the project, which included 100 apartments and town homes known as The Oaks.

But after the supermarket closed, the building become an eyesore, Allen said.

"The grass was so tall, it was taller than I am," Allen said.

She said she would like to see more businesses for residents in the area.

Dedra Gunn, 24, of the nearby Colonial Homes agreed but stressed the need for quality businesses, noting that there were complaints of unsanitary conditions at the old supermarket.

Gunn said nearby businesses are important because many people in the area don't have their own transportation and must take the bus or walk several blocks.

Though Barry won't name prospective tenants, he said the interest of businesses in locating in the center has been tremendous, and he confirmed that a neighborhood dry cleaner will be staying.

"We have more (prospective) tenants interested than we have space," he said.

Construction of the community health center is expected to start in September, said Ken McCall of the Trafalgar Development Group, a consultant for the health center. "We're moving along," he said.